Imagine that you are enjoying a day off at the beach. The children play on the beach and jump from the jetty. It is summer idyll at its best. Then you notice a man with a long telephoto lens pointing straight at your children. What are you doing? Mener man pointed a lens at the children Ida Myhre Folvik and the family were enjoying themselves on Storevarstranda in Stokke, when they observed a man who stood out from the crowd. – He pointed the lens so obviously at the jetty where there were children, says the mother of three. After the man had been photographing for several hours, Folvik felt sick to his stomach. – I think it was very uncomfortable. Imagine if he is sitting inside with pictures of my six-year-old daughter in a bikini. There must have been many children on the beach and pier at Storevarstranda in Stokke on the day in question. Photo: Magnus Skatvedt Iversen / news The mother of three called the police and was encouraged to speak to the man herself. Tønsbergs Blad mentioned this story first. Asked to see the pictures, Folvik mustered up the courage and confronted the man. She says that she asked to see the last photos he had taken, to make sure that the children were not depicted. According to Folvik, the man must have been stressed and frantically pressed buttons on his camera. It must have taken a long time before he showed her the camera. There were no pictures there then. – “No images”, it said, explains the mother of three. Mother of three Ida Myhre Folvik on Storevarstranda in Stokke. Photo: Magnus Skatvedt Iversen / news According to Folvik, the man drove off at full speed after the confrontation. She thinks it is suspicious that he could not show the pictures straight away, if he had nothing to hide. – What were you afraid of? – After all, it is to be used online. To dirty pages like that. That pictures of the children’s bottom end up on such rough pages, where pictures of children shouldn’t be, she says. – But can you be sure that the man took pictures of the children? – I can’t be sure, because I didn’t get to see the pictures, but it’s very suspicious. news has not succeeded in getting in touch with the man. He says to Tønsbergs Blad that he will not comment on the case. Are you worried about your child being secretly photographed on the beach? Yes, I always make sure my child is wearing swimwear. No, that thought never crossed my mind. Let children run around naked, if they want! Show result – Secret hole made to take pictures Every summer we get inquiries about sneaky photography of children, says Claire Ann Alfonso, president of Norway’s Lifesaving Society. Eleven beach lifeguards patrol five beaches in Oslo every day. – We don’t have a count of how often, but not a season goes by without us getting inquiries about it, or experiencing and discovering that someone is actually taking pictures of children on the beaches, says Alfonso. Claire Ann Alfonso, president of Norway’s Lifesaving Society. Photo: Privat During the training, the beach lifeguards learn what to look for. According to Alfonso, some are easy to spot because, for example, they have placed themselves alone near families with children. Some take pictures openly, while others hide away. – Some people try to hide their mobile phones in their pockets, they have also made a secret hole to take pictures, she says. The beach lifeguards immediately report to the police or lifeguards when they discover such incidents. – Use your head The police have no statistics on how many inquiries they receive of this kind. Police inspector Torunn Fossli Sæthre is acting section leader for sexual offenses and violence against children in the South-East police district. It is not forbidden to take pictures in a public place, but taking pictures of other people’s children without the parents’ consent is not right, explains the police inspector. – If you wonder what the photographer is interested in, you should ask questions, says Sæthre. Torunn Fossli Sæthre, acting section leader for sexual offenses and violence against children in the South-East police district. Photo: Martin Torstveit / news If you get a bad reason, she asks parents to consult the police. – Do parents have reason to be concerned? – There have not been many warnings about this. But use your head, common sense, be observant and ask questions if you have doubts about something, she advises. Pictures of children on the beach may have appeared in seized abuse material, Kripos informs. – We do not have experience that indicates that this is a major problem, says Line Berbu, police superintendent and acting head of the section for sexual offences.
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Man pointing camera at children on the beach: – Very uncomfortable
